Anodizing rack



Oct. 6, 1953 D. E. SAFFEL 2,654,707

ANODIZING RACK Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l llllll w 8' NVENTOR.

Oct. 6, 1953 v D. E. SAFFEL 2,654,707

' ANODIZING RACK Filed Aug. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHH INVENTOR. 0M8. g 2

Patented Oct. 6, 1953 ANODIZING RACK Donald E. Salfel, Louisville, Ky.,assignor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a

corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 19.50, Serial No. 180,961

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to an apparatus for immersing articlesto be treated in a bath, and more particularly in the specificembodiment of the invention disclosed, to an apparatus for anodizingvessels having one closed end.

In the art of anodizing closed vessels, that is, Vessels having a closedend and an openend, it has heretofore been the practice to immerse thevessels in an anodizing solution. However, if the vessels are rigidlysecured to a frame and plunged straight down into the bath with arectilinear motion, several disadvantageous results are therebyproduced. The turbulent flow of the anodizing solution into the vesselsresults in the entrapment of gas within he vessels and the consequentproduction of gas marks on their interior surfaces. Furthermore, if thevessels are immovably secured with respect to the frame, emptying thesolution from the vessels is diflicult upon removal of the latter fromthe various immersion baths.

It is therefore a primary object of'the present invention to provide anapparatus for immersing closed vessels into a bath in such a manner thatat the initial contact of the vessels with the bath the vessels will bealigned in an approximately horizontal position. This allows thesolution to flow without turbulence through the lower portions of thehorizontally projecting open :ends, thereby allowing air and other gasesto escape from the interiors of the vessels through the upper portionsof the open ends as the interiors become filled with the solution.

Another object is to provide that the horizontally positioned vessels begradually rotated toward an upright position as the immersion continuesso that the vessels, after full immersion, an upright, uniformly filled'withsolution, and devoid of entrapped gases.

A further object is to providethat the vessels, upon removal from thebath, be gradually rotated back to the horizontal position and thendownwardly to aninverted position so as to facilitate the emptying ofthe solution from within the vessels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in an apparatushaving a frame for supporting the vessels and adapted to berectilinearly lowered intoa bath, the above-noted angular movements ofthe vessels, said movements occurring automatically in response to theposition of the frame with respect to the surface of the bath.

A further object is to provide a simple, effective float-operated meansfor automatically controlling said angular positioning of the vessels.

Another important :object of the invention is to provide a novelconducting means for supplying electric current to the vessels duringthe anodizing operation, said conducting means being-unaffected by theangular movements of the vessels or the insulating effect of the an izinsolution.

Other objects and advanta es will Dpea1'.. as the description proceedsor are inherent in the structure disclosed inthe specification and thedrawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective ,view .ofthe apparatus before immersion hascommenced and showing the vessels inverted;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View showing the horizontalDOsition of the vessels-at the beginning of the immersion;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional ,view showing the vessels innprightposition and fully immersed in the bath;

'Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the lineA-..-4 inFig. 1 and showing the means for securing the lower closed endsof the vessels to a rack;.an d

Fig. 5 is a top plan detail view ,of the rack and vessel securing means:asscen when looking downwardly in Fig. 4.

Referring now to :the drawing, the reference numeral ll indicatesa tankcontaining a-bath or anodizing solution. A frame, indicate d generallyat [2, is adapted to carry a plurality .of vessels I3, 13', l3".andimmerse the latter in the tank ll.

In more detail, the frame [2 comprises .a .pair of horizontally-spacedend members I4, v(each provided with an upwardly-extending integralflange portion 15,15 respectively. The portions I5, I55 are providedslots or openings it, It which are'adapted to coact'with any. suitablewell-known mechanism (not shown) forconveying theapparatus l2. A pairofbrace rods-.l l, l "l' are rigidly secured at their opposite ends to theend members l4, MT. -A pair -,0f downwardlydependingsupportingmembers-IB, H! are secured at their upper ends to the endmembers. 14, l4 respectively by means-ofrivets or other conventionalsecuring means indicated, atl 9.

Extending between the lower iends ofrthe supporting members I-'8,'|8' isahorizontal rack .23 adapted to support the ,vessels l3, 132,13". Theopposite ends of the rack-20am pivotally mounted on the supportingmembers [8, l8 by means of pins 21 secured to the rack 20 and rotatablymounted within bearings or openings in the supporting members l8, Hi. Itwill thus be seen that the rack 20 is freely rotatable about ahorizontal axis. Rigidly secured at opposite ends of the rack 20 arebracket members 22, 22' which project radially outwardly from the axisof rotation of the rack 20. A longitudinal tubular float 23 extendsbetween and is secured to the outermost ends of the bracket members 22,22'.

Since in the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed in thedrawing and specification, the apparatus is employed for anodizing, theframe l2 comprising end members [4, l4, rods l1, l1 and supportingmembers I8, l8, and also the rack 20 are formed of a suitable metalliccurrent conductive material. Although some current will pass from theframe [2 to the rack 20 through the bearing contact surfaces at 2|, thiswill be small due to the insulating characteristic of the anodizingsolution which surrounds said bearing surfaces. To assure themaintenance of a direct positive electrical contact between the frame l2and rack 20, there is provided a conductive metallic coil spring 24. ofthe spring 24 is provided with a flat flange 25 contacting and securedto the supporting One end member 18, whereas the other end is providedwith a similar flange 26 secured to and in contact with the rack 20. Asbest seen in Figs. 2 to 4, the axis of the coil spring 24 isapproximately coincident with the axis of rotation of the rack 20.

The vessels 13, I3, l3" are illustrative of one of the many types whichmay be utilized with the present invention and in the specific disclosedembodiment are in the form of lower sections of coffee making utensils.The vessels l3, 13, I3" are each provided with a lower closed end 21having a flat annular lower surface 28, as best seen in Figs. 4 and 5wherein the vessel 13 is shown inverted. U-shaped bracket 29 is securedto the lower surface 28 and projects downwardly therefrom. The rack 20is provided with a flat upper surface 30 adapted to abut against thelower surface 28 of the vessel 13.

The rack 29 is further provided with several open sided U-shaped slots3|, one pair of slots for each of the brackets 29. The latter projectinto the slots 3! and are clamped securely therein by means of a lockbar 32 extending longitudinally of the rack 20. The lock bar 32 is heldin place by means of studs 33 fixed at one end to the rack 20 andprojecting through the lock bar '32 so as to receive the nuts 32. It isto be understood that other types of vessels and other means forsecuring them to the rack 23 may be employed.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described. Before immersion,the weight of the float 23 and the torsion effect of the coil spring 24combine to maintain the rack 20 in the inverted position shown inFig. 1. The vessels l3, l3, 13" are mounted in inverted position on therack 23 by inserting the brackets 29 into the open sided slots 3|disposed in a longitudinal side of said rack and then rotating the pegnuts 34 so as to cause the lock bar 32 to securely clamp the brackets29.

The frame !2 is then moved downwardly toward the bath or anodizingsolution in the tank H. The float 23 will contact the bath and thebuoyancy of the float 23 will cause it to remain at the surface of thebath as the frame I2 is lowered, thereby rotating the float 23, thebracket members 22, 22', the rack 20, and hence also the vessels l3, l3,l3" upwardly toward the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2. During thistilting movement of the vessels [3, l3, l3 the solution flows smoothlyinto their interiors without turbulence and the gases displaced by thesolution and are permitted to escape. As the frame l2 continues to belowered the vessels [3, l3, l3 continue to pivot upwardly about thehorizontal axis of rotation of the rack 20 until the upright positionshown in Fig. 3 is obtained.

As the frame [2 is removed from the bath, the weight of the float 23 andthe torsion effect of the spring 22 tend to maintain the float 23 at thesurface of the bath, thereby causing the vessels I3, l3, [3 to tiltdownwardly toward the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2. As the frameI2 is raised further above the bath, the vessels I 3, l3, I3" willcontinue to tilt downwardly so as to finally assume the invertedposition shown in Fig. 1, thereby completing the emptying of thevessels.

It is to be understood that the specific embodiment of the inventiondisclosed in the drawing and specification is merely illustrative of oneof the many forms which the invention may take in practice; the scope ofthe invention being delineated in the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is as follows:

A plating device for immersing container vessels into an anodizing bathconsisting of a frame having a pair of flat parallel spaced-apartvertical metal frame members and a pair of substantially T-shapedinverted apertured end members secured to the tops of said verticalmembers and further having a pair of spaced-apart rods secured to theends of the T-shaped end members, a flat longitudinal rack rotatablymounted between the lower ends of the vertical frame members, aplurality of U-shaped vessel holding brackets disposed in open sidedslots positioned at one edge of said rack, a longitudinal lock barhaving a plurality of apertures therein for removably securing saidU-shaped brackets to said rack, a plurality of locked peg-nuts disposedin said apertures of said lock bar for locking said bar to said rack, alongitudinal float secured to the ends of said rack in spaced relationthereto, and a flat metal coil spring of several turns wound axiallyabout one end of said rack and secured to the flat bottom thereof andsecured at the other end to the flat inner face of one of said flatparallel vertical members for conducting an electrical current from saidvertical members to said rack, whereby a plurality of container vesselssecured to said racks at their vessel bottoms are gradually uniformlyfilled with anodizing solution upon lowering said vertical spaced-apartmembers into said anodizing bath.

DONALD E. SAFFEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,836,066 Edison Dec. 15, 1931 2,362,474 Elsenheimer Nov. 14,1944

